In my last post about our trip to Sao Jorge island of the Azores I discussed what we did on our last day there. We basically drove from one end of the island to the other, and did a mini hike and checked out some views.
We actually did a few other things that day as well, including stopping at any of the miradouros that we passed along the roads. Miradouros are scenic viewpoints that are scattered all across the islands in Azores.
Anytime that we saw a sign for one we pulled our car over to check it out. They were almost certainly guaranteed to be an amazing view.
We also stopped at a park called Parque Florestal das Sete Fontes which is what this post is about. The park is the largest park on the island and covers a total of 12 hectares.
The park is described as a nature preserve with a wide variety of plant species. There is also a fairly large fenced in pen full of small deer that we saw. I don't know if the deer are there permanently or what, but to be honest it was a little sad to see them penned up like that. They didn't look unhappy or anything - how could a person tell really? Its just to me there is nothing appealing about seeing a animal in a cage. To me penned animals just become a reminder about human impact on a particular area - habitats taken over and animals displaced. My guess is that they are the last remaining wild deer of the island which were probably displaced by human settlement and farming. The island is so small that maybe they cannot be left to wander freely? Likely they have just been corralled to that location to "store them," so to speak. What else do you do with an animal that's habitat has been displaced. Anyway, thats probably a little depressing to say so moving on.
Outside the park entrance was a small chapel and a stone boat sculpture. Inside the grounds was a playground for kids, tables sheltered from rain and outdoor firepit/BBQ style grills for family picnics.
I don't know what the significance of the boat was. There wasn't a plaque or information board around it that I could see, so I couldn't find a description or story about its orgins.
The day we were there is was rainy and dreary, which gave the inside of the park a rainforest like feel to it. Damp, wet, lushly green...etc.
There weren't a lot of flowers that we could see but that might be because of the time of year. It was May when we visited and what we had heard was that this year's spring had been particularly cool, so maybe the blooms were just late?
With all of the rain though, everything was very vibrantly green looking and moss grew all over the rocks.
The tall cedar trees were beautiful with their red bark, as were the large ferns and palms.
The park was quite large with several paths snaking their way through the trees. Some were lined with covered stones and followed a creek giving off enchanted forest like vibes.
The photos don't really do the space justice though. Had the day been nicer and the weather clear, the pictures probably would have been really stunning.
These photos are nothing to special I realize.
We maybe spent an hour walking around in there and through the surrounding area. Then we headed on our way across the island.
I wouldn't consider this to be a must see location on Sao Jorge but it provided us with a minor activity to do on the last full day of our visit.
